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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25436620">Birthday Baking</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/PurpleLilies/pseuds/PurpleLilies'>PurpleLilies</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Red White &amp; Royal Blue - Casey McQuiston</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Domestic Fluff, Future Fic, How Do I Tag, I love them so much, Idiots in Love, M/M, Married Life, baking cakes, henry cant bake, neither can alex, pure fluff, the T rating is for swearing but only mild, they make me soft</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 07:08:12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,096</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25436620</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/PurpleLilies/pseuds/PurpleLilies</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Henry and Alex try to bake a cake<br/>it goes about just as well as you'd expect</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Alex Claremont-Diaz/Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>58</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Birthday Baking</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Light pooled in through the open curtains, casting a warm glow throughout the bedroom,  causing Henry to squint and roll over. He pulled the blankets further over his head, trying and failing to remain asleep. Why did the sun have to be so bloody bright? He internally groaned. Henry sat up and stretched, running his hand over the soft and rumpled bed sheets, searching for his husband. Instead the left side of the bed was cold and wrinkled, clearly Alex had already woken up. Henry contemplated going back to sleep but it was of no use as Alex had, needless to say, already started the day.<br/>
Pushing himself to sit at the end of the bed Henry stood up to head to the bathroom, but froze as he heard a loud clang echo from downstairs, followed by a stream of rapid fire Cursing. Henry sighed. Alex must have needed help of some sort and so he made his way down the spiral staircase and into the kitchen.<br/>
Henry found Alex cross-legged sitting on the island counter, face scrunched in concentration as he looked down at his phone. Littered around him were multiple backing ingredients, measuring cups and bowls that they had gotten as a gift from Pez but had never used. Not until now at least.<br/>
“Love what are you doing?” Henry asked with a soft smile.<br/>
The sudden noise jarred Alex and he jumped, knocking over a bowl of what looked like sugar. Cursing, Alex’s smile was strangled as he looked over at Henry.<br/>
“Making a mess.” He sighed dejectedly glancing at the spilled sugar. “I was trying to do something nice for your birthday coming up and surprising you with that cake you like, but the process has been… hard, to say the least.”<br/>
Henry laughed, grabbing the broom and dustbin out of the closet and sweeping up the sugar. “Well maybe an extra set of hands won’t hurt?” Alex grinned and they set off to work.<br/>
-<br/>
Twenty minutes later and they were no better than they started, the batter had been going smoothly until Henry accidentally forgot to add the eggs and Alex had gotten flour all over the kitchen. All in all, it was a disaster, but simply seeing Alex laugh with tears in his eyes and face flushed pink at some joke Henry had made, squeezed his heart. The smile on his face was blinding. But because of the failed attempt that was his birthday cake, they resolved to settle on their trusty plan B; call June.<br/>
June picked up on the third ring, answering with a “What’s up fuckers.” Classy, Henry thought and waved to Nora who was sitting in the background of the camera as Alex explained their dilemma to his sister.  After a long set of detailed instructions and countless minutes of mocking their subpar baking skills, Henry finally had step by step instructions from June written on three pink post it notes. Each which had not so helpful additions he had been forced into writing by Nora, that made Alex grumble and Henry snicker. (His favorite being “Alex: the probability that you will mess this up even with Junes advice is in the high nineties, let Henry do it babes”)<br/>
Henry in fact did do most of the work and they spent the next ten minutes making the batter (well this time) and lightheartedly bickering, joking and smudging ingredients onto each other’s faces when the time called for it. After successfully loading the cake into the oven set at three hundred and fifty degrees (courtesy of June) Henry set on cleaning up so that they could focus on the icing. Once done packing the dishwasher, Henry turned around making eye contact with a cake covered Alex, who was determinedly licking the left over batter from the bowl. Henry raised an eyebrow, unsuccessfully trying to hide his already forming smile.<br/>
” What? I’m helping to clean!” Alex defended.<br/>
“Oh I’m sure you are love.” Henry shook his head and laughed, picking up the spoon for the batter and bumping it on Alex’s nose, warmth spreading through his chest. However, the warmth was soon replaced with mischief as he noticed the glint in Alex’s eyes.<br/>
“So that’s how you want to play.” Alex said hoping down from the counter, grabbing the batter bowl and running out of the kitchen. Henry sighed and took off after him, speeding through the hallways and rooms of their brownstone apartment, chasing after Alex as he laughed and screamed. Henry sped up to reach Alex who had run into the living room and once he did, hefted him up into his arms spinning him around. 

Suddenly something wet and slimy was spread on his face and he yelped, almost knocking back into the bowl that had been placed on the floor. Alex threw his head back in laughter at Henrys predicament, still in His arms. He had dipped his hands in the remaining batter before Henry could reach him and once he did, smushed his hands into his husbands face, looking very pleased. So in retaliation Henry rubbed his face all over Alex’s, peppering his cheeks with kisses as Alex sighed softly and laughed.<br/>
Henry placed them both gently onto the couch, their laughter dying down as they gazed at each other, eyes filled with unconcealed adoration. Henry couldn’t believe he had gotten so lucky. Lucky enough to be married to the man he had been in love with since he was nineteen. And so undoubtedly lucky enough to have faced all that he has and come out of it, not only alive, but living. Finally living the way he wants to with someone he actually wants to be with. No longer conscious about how he acts and what he does that could reveal a secret he was no longer hiding, and no longer conscious about hiding who is in the public’s eye. Witnessing all of the support from the countless numbers of people across the globe as well as the ones that mattered, had completely changed any doubt that he had. Of course there were still some who were not so accepting and lashed out and Alex and him for it, but they had learned over the years that they simply didn’t care. They didn’t care because they were happy. So incredibly happy.<br/>
Sticky hands met even stickier faces as they kissed, the heat from Alex’s lips searing him to the core and warmth spread through his skin. When they pulled apart Henry couldn’t contain his smile. Well that is until…<br/>
“Fuck! the cake!”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>so if you've made it far enough to read this you must have liked it a little so thank you! this was super fun to write and is my first fic so dont be too harsh lol<br/>and if you liked it ill be trying to post more on my tumblr emilyfairchild</p></blockquote></div></div>
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